The Berne Convention for the Protection of…

The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, is an international agreement governing copyright, which is first accepted on September 9, 1886, in Bern, Switzerland.

The Berne Convention requires its signatories to recognize the copyright of works of authors from other signatory countries (known as members of the Berne Union) in the same way as it recognizes the copyright of its own nationals.

For example, French copyright law applies to anything published or performed in France, regardless of where it was originally created.

In addition to establishing a system of equal treatment that internationalized copyright among signatories, the agreement also requires member states to provide strong minimum standards for copyright law.